[Flashback] Another Tip.. Or Two? [Will Blacktide]

[Hadiya]

Timestamp: 87th Day of Winter, 510 AV
Location: The Docks
Status: Flashback, tag Will Blacktide

The many days that passed vigorously, Hadiya weeped and wallowed at the fact she was afraid of the water. Everyday, she stood at the docks to gawk at the waters edge as she hoped to let her hopes go.

She wished that she could risks like the rest of her family, but unfortunately she wasn't raised like that. Apparently, breaking out of her boundaries was not right anymore when it came to raising a child.

As if Hadiya cared, half of the time she went behind her mother and father's back because she could never get what she wanted. More like a spoiled brat you could say, when she didn't get what she wanted, she would fuss about it here and there. Her parents said that within age she would get more freedom, that didn't come.

So she had to fend for herself and learn her way around the many ways of life her parents never exposed to her. Water for instance, cold and still as it is, she couldn't possibly explore the under water sea. She was warned of the many monsters and creatures that lived there. Hadiya was afraid to take any chances, she didn't want to be like her parents for once.

Suddenly, she found herself walking to close to the edge, where she tripped over some rope that was attached to one of the boats. There were loud screams, as she fell into the water. Plunging, with a loud splash, she thrashed in the water. The density kept her movements even slower, she practically useless in the water.

Attempting to reach the edge of the water into the open space. Just to take one gasp of air, that's all she needed before her awaiting death. Out of the blue, she saw the few dull faces that were searching for her. Emotionless as they were, she attempted to reach her hand to signal that she was there. She found herself trapped on a hook from a sunken piece of concrete. A rusty hook that attached her, she continued to struggle in the water. Finally, she gave up, giving up to the waters evil ways. She was done for....

Until she saw a white figure that plunged into the depths of the water. She could recognize that it was a man because of his body... Under the mercy of the water she let her eyes shut, feeling herself drop slowly onto the slab of concrete in the water. When she got up, her first breath was taken in a gasp as she whipped her hair behind her face.

Blinking a few times to reassure that she was alright, she saw the figure again right in front of her. Another dull face, blank like the color white. She didn't imagine that he would have bothered to help her, but there was a clumsy smile on her face. Her eyes diverted to the sky, looking into the suns rays trying to imagine where she was. She felt the rocks of something moving up and down as if she was travelling in some sort of.. contraption! Like the boats that were in the dock... That's where she was!

On a boat, this boy.. man.. whatever must have owned this boat or else he wouldn't have saved her. "I'm so sorry... I'm such a clumsy one." She said in a careless tone, trying to shake herself off so she can get herself off easily and quickly. She knew very well that she had caused enough drama in this place. Might as well save herself some dignity..

Trying to get herself back up, she struggled many times, eventually giving up to fall back onto the hard floor. To the tell the truth, she thought he was mad enough to help such a clumsy girl as herself. She was practically embarrassed right now, she wanted to get out. But mercy held her onto the floor, strapped on for the ride that was to come yet.

[Will Blacktide]

The day had been an uneventful one, which was not to Will’s liking. It was always this way. Even in an exotic port like Ahnatep, he quickly became bored and restless. He didn’t really enjoy exploring the city, and he found himself longing to be setting sail again almost as soon as they arrived. Being Svefra, this wasn’t really an unusual sentiment. But the pods needed supplies and so coming into port was a necessity. So, idling the morning away with playing cards and then eating and then shooting the bull with Nate and then making an unnecessary inspection of the furled sails, he was ready for . . . something. Anything. Entertainment or excitement or diversion. As he scanned the dock though, nothing immediately leapt to sight. With a sigh, he considered going overboard for another rather unneeded survey, this time of the keel and rudder assembly. He had just pulled his shirt over his head and thrown it to the deck, when he heard a loud splash just to port. Looking over the side of the casinor, he spotted her right away. She fell in practically at his marine doorstep. He waited a moment – it was just possible she had meant to jump in the water. But it quickly became apparent that she had not meant to, as her arms flailed over her submerged head, and her body thrashed widly. Just as her lips broke the surface to take a gasp of half air half water, Will dove in gracefully and in one stroke was near to her. Now came the tricky part. Experience had taught him to approach a non-swimmer with caution. Their struggles could easily force the rescuer into dire straits as well, though being Svefra, Will could swim literally like a fish. Still, Will came at the girl from behind, as best he could, encircling her waist with one arm, and speaking to her in the common tongue – words of reassurance and meant to calm. Her reaction made him think that she was panicked to the point of near hysteria, as she thrashed and almost fought him off. But he was persistent and managed to drag her to the side of the Marlin. Two others of his pod who had seen the goings on had leapt in the water as well, and one now scrambled up the rope to land on the casinor’s deck. Together, the three men managed to get the girl hauled aboard, and on her back. She hadn’t been in long enough to really swallow that much water, but Will took the precaution of turning her on her side and thumping her back hard several times. No water came spouting out, so he knew she would be fine, once she calmed down and regained her breath. Crouched down beside her, his elbows resting on his thighs, he waited. Her dark eyes fluttered open and a thin hand went to push the sopping dark hair away from her face. She sputtered an apology of sorts, and then tried to rise, pushing her self up with her hands. Will reached out to steady her, saying in a soothing tone, “Hold on there, no rush. You’ve had a bit of a scare. Take it easy.” But in her state of scattered senses, the girl persisted in trying to get up and the slight rocking of the boat, even moored as it was, was enough to cause her to lose her balance, and she tumbled back to the deck. This time, Will actually took a hold of her and firmly but gently held her down. “Steady on there. I think you should take a moment to rest, get your head back on straight.” Trying to distract her and keep her from fighting to get back up, he asked, “What’s your name? If you fancy a swim, you should really learn a few strokes first.” He smiled at her, hoping to put her more at ease and help her regain some normalcy.

[Hadiya]

She stared at him cautiously, wondering why the boy tried to hold her down. Didn't he realize that she wanted to get out of this rat-trap. She felt his touch grab a hold of her to signal that she needed to calm down and understand that she wasn't in the greatest shape. She turned onto her stomach to have a better view of the man who had saved her from this devastating tragedy. When she heard his question, she thought to either lie or to tell the truth. She didn't know if she could trust this man, after all he did save her but she was still unknown about him. Taking a deep breath she said,

"I'm... H-Hadiya... You are?" Struggling on her words, feeling her head dazing bit by bit. As the images of the area became blurry and more unsatisfactory.

Her teeth began to chatter rather quickly, as the cold timbered up her spine. She squealed slightly, unknown to feeling this wet because never dare she ever stepped foot in the water. Her clothes clung to her body making everything visible, her curves, every single detail! Plus, the breeze that blew against her body left her in a conundrum. "Your a Svefra aren't you? I can tell by your eyes, they are gorgeous..." She smiled, complementing him kindly. "And by the way, thank you and your friends for saving me. I appreciate dearly, also, sorry if I kicked you or anything. I'm not really immune to the water if you know what I mean!"

She laughed somewhat, bit by bit her energy regaining here and there. She helped herself up quickly, propped up by her other hands as she tried to sit upright. She found this time much easier therefore she was able to have a better view of the area. "Do you happen to have any dry clothes or anything?" She held her skin, clenching onto the for warmth, the only thing she had. Hadiya began to look around, searching for the dock wondering why hadn't she run off yet. Somehow, something was leading her to stay with him for a while, he seemed.... Interesting. In a way.

She smiled a little more, finding herself comfortable against the floorboards that held her ground. "So do you like spending your time on this, boat?" She asked him. "And aren't you scared of the water? ... It's so... Wet." She shivered at the revelation of her drowning in the water once again. Hadiya thought that instead she might as well stop with the questions because she was probably making him feel more nervous than he was now. A girl from out of nowhere falls into the water, drowns, and is asking questions like a maniac. So much at such little time.

[Will Blacktide]

His hand on her arm seemed to worry her for a moment but within a few seconds, she did at least answer his question. Her voice though was a bit hesitant, as well as sounding as if she didn’t quite know the answer. Her teeth clattered together then, and though they were so far south, Will realized that the girl was suffering from the shock of her unexpected immersion as much as from any chill from the water. “I’m Will. And yeah, you got it. I’m Svefra. Hope you don’t find that too offensive.” He grinned, knowing full well how many of those who lived in Mizahar regarded his kind. It never bothered him, though. He had no desire to live on land, and with the exception of the merchant sailors of the land, few Mizaharians ventured out on the sea. The girl propped herself up into a sitting position, and Will sat back himself, letting his hand drop from her arm. She seemed to be refocusing and she let out a small, bright laugh after making a nice apology. He wrapped his arms around his knees, and smiled. “No worries. It actually made my day – though I’m sure it’s mostly ruined yours. But I love to fish, and you’re the nicest thing I’ve caught in weeks.” She shot him a puzzled look at that one and he shrugged. “Sorry, that was supposed to be a joke.” His hand went to the one long scratch that traced down the side of his neck. “And don’t worry, you didn’t kick me. One tiny scratch – believe me, I’ve had far worse from girls smaller than you.” Hadiya wrapped her arms about herself, trying to get warm and stop the shivers that ran over her skin. At her request for something dry to change into, Will said somewhat apologetically, “I’m afraid the best I can offer you is a pair of trousers and a shirt.” He tried to scrutinize her a bit more closely, to gauge her size, though from hauling her out of the water he already knew she was a tiny thing. “Maybe some of my cousin’s things might fit you without immediately falling right back off, with a belt, tightened well up.” He chortled. “I’m sure you’d look a sight. But might be better than freezing to death.” He rose, and she posed a few more questions, her curiosity coming to the fore as she put the shock of her near drowning behind her. He smiled and held his hand down to help her up to her feet. “I love the water – can’t stand the land. And I don’t fear it, but I do respect it. Laviku’s home can be treacherous. Or it can be mild and sweet. You just have to know how to read its moods – like a woman.” He laughed. “Come on – I can fetch you something to change into, but I doubt you’ll want to get undressed right here on deck. There’s a little cabin forward, and the clothes are there as well. Once you change, I can give you a little tour of my world, if you like.”

[Hadiya]

She rose from her position, following him quickly. He gave her a dry white shirt, and some trousers. By the look of them, she swore that neither would fit her but she was still grateful for his kind personality. Hadiya smiled somewhat before heading into the cabin, closing the door behind her and locking it. She took of her clothes delicately, folding each one, piling one on top the other. Throwing on the shirt, she looked at herself wondering if this would fall off or anything. She shrugged, and then tried on the pants, vigorously trying to pull them up. Quickly, they just fell. Hadiya had no choice but to go outside with no pants because not even the belt would help her. She pulled off the pants, folding them next to hers and made her way outside in his long shirt. "The pants didn't fit, but thank you..." She smiled somewhat, staring at her slender legs and then raising an eyebrow to look at him. "Whatcha' think?" She asked him in a soft tone, turning around slightly to show off her fitting. She laughed somewhat, smiling a little more comfortable than before. Hadiya felt more rejuvenated than before although her body ached from all the struggling she did in the water but she shrugged it off like it was nothing. "What a beautiful boat you have.. Do you own this?" She turned her head to look at him, folding her arms to her chest.

She pulled her hair back and then folded it to the side as it lazily draped itself on her left shoulder. "You know something... I have always been afraid of the water... The many creatures that dive beneath there, I've heard... Today I was supposed to try but I ended up tripping on your rope that tied you to the dock. I'm such a clumsy one... I wish I could love the water though, like it were my daughter of some sort... You know? Well no you don't, you've probably been on the sea your whole life. I have been healing and singing all my life." Her last sentence was muttered therefore he didn't hear it, she was always hesitant about her professions so she kept it on the down low. "So Will, may I ask your age?" She arched one brow, unfolding her arms. Whenever Hadiya met anyone she always asked the age because she always unsure to assume these things. It was also the basic questions of getting to know someone either way. The Epyharian placed herself, leaning against one of the pillars that was hoisted in the air. She stared up and watched the other men look around, laughing. She waved up to them with a smile, then fixated her eyes back on him.

Hadiya had to remember she didn't want to be to forward with him because first impressions were always the worst. You had to practically be yourself, without messing up... The confusion she had caused, he probably considered her as someone clumsy. There was a despicable taste on the tip of her tongue when she thought about it. How putrid... She thought. The Epyharian thought about the possibilities of ever sailing out to sea, exploring the word of Mizahar... Exploration was her thing after all but she had to conquer her fears of water, before anything else. There was always something that stood in the way of her goals that she had to overcome. Thanks mother and father, for raising such a pre-cautious girl...

Here and there questions continued to pop in her head, but what she couldn't get over was his eyes. She was in love with Svefra's eyes because they were so amazing! Although, she had to keep her cool from gushing over him as she said because this was the first time she was meeting him and so forth. First impressions... A pain in my ass.... She noted mentally. Her thoughts continued to remain on his answers as she conjured up new questions. It was miraculous that her recovery was so quick though, she couldn't believe it. At least she hadn't regurgitated anything since her incident where they had to save her. I wonder what he thinks of me now?... A bit to nosy...? ...